Cost per acre, ledge, permits, mud season, and everything else people ask before hiring an excavation contractor in the Lakes Region.
Heavily wooded Lakes Region land runs $3,000–$8,000 per acre cleared complete — trees, stumps, debris hauled. Light brush is far less. Full tables on the NH benchmarks page, or use the estimator.
Machine-and-operator runs $110–$200/hour by machine size. Most residential jobs get a flat quote after a site walk instead of hourly billing — you should know the number before we start.
A small exploratory dig at the corners of a planned foundation or septic area, done before quoting. It finds ledge, water, and soil type while they're still cheap to know about — the difference between a planned line item and a change order.
Within 250 ft of a lake, the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act applies: a tree-point system in the first 50 ft, vegetation minimums beyond it, and NHDES Shoreland Permits for significant earth work. Wetlands have their own rules. We plan waterfront jobs to stay compliant — see the plain-English guide.
In March–April, thawing gravel roads go soft and towns post weight limits — loaded trucks stay off. Jobs needing trucking schedule around it. It's also why fall booking beats spring calling.
Water runs down it instead of off it. Crown + ditch + culvert = fixed. Details in the driveway guide.
Every job. NH law requires 811 at least 72 business hours before digging so buried utilities get marked. It's free, and it's non-negotiable.
Fall for spring. Prime digging is May–November; schedules fill before thaw. Winter suits clearing and hauling on frozen ground.
Ask it in the quote form — real answers, no obligation.
